


Raziel's Wings

by yuyuan



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, M/M, Wings, Wings!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 06:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6693199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuyuan/pseuds/yuyuan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The books were wrong. Angels did not have wings as white as snow. At least most of them didn’t.<br/>Wings!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unfurled

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is my first fic for Shadowhunters. As a warning, I have not read the books yet, so my shadowhunters knowledge is mostly based on what I know from the TV series (which is amazing I must say). though, I do refer to wiki for some things :") That being said, this is a wings!AU where almost everything is the same from tv show canon, just the fact that shadowhunters have wings. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it! :")

Shadowhunters, technically humans but with angel blood flowing through their veins, were descendants of the angel Raziel. They serve as peacekeepers between the mundanes and shadow world and were a force to fear. Everything about the Shadowhunters was physically the same as humans except for one thing— wings. Yes, wings. Their wings are a physical manifestation of their souls because of their angelic lineage. But the books had it wrong. Angels did not have wings as white as snow. At least most of them didn’t. Their wings were the colors of the earth—brown, gray, burgundy, and the occasional deep blues that look almost black but weren’t, and it was practical; considering how Shadowhunters conducted most of their peacekeeping duties under the cover of night, white wings were considered the opposite of subtlety. However, every century, there would be a few Shadowhunters born with wings of white. White wings were something that was either hailed or feared. In the ancient times, these Shadowhunters were revered as ones who were closest to Raziel, ones who were a symbol of great change in the shadow world—a natural born leader. Though the past had often reflected these leaders brought positive change, it didn’t mean change with sinister intent was impossible. The Clave often did not respond to change as enthusiastically as younger generations of the time did, but they would support it by majority rule. However, there did come a time when every good thing associated with white wings changed. In the current century, there was one particular Shadowhunter who was born with wings as white as snow, and he was expected to be the Shadowhunter of the century that brought promising harmony between the shadow world and the mundane world. However, the charismatic leader had everyone fooled and nearly destroyed them all. This Shadowhunter was known as Valentine. Though he died only a few weeks after his failed Uprising, he had accomplished one goal— striking fear into the Clave. Ever since, Shadowhunters who had white wings were ostracized and treated poorly because of the fear that there was a possibility, as slight as could be, that they would one day become a monstrosity like Valentine.

Shadowhunters were wingless at birth. Their wings had to be nurtured inside their bodies until the coming of age ceremony. To have a healthy pair of wings was a blessing from Raziel, and though it was the norm to have functional wings, there were some Shadowhunters who were not as lucky. Those Shadowhunters were born with smaller pseudo wings that were more of a mark than a useful gift. At the age of 13, nestlings would have their ceremony and receive permanent runes of flight in the courtyard of Idris. There, they would discover if they were born for the frontlines or for headquarters support.

➰

Alec hated the fact that he hated his wings. He should have some remote feeling of gratitude since he had functional wings, but considering his circumstances, it was hard to feel grateful. He remembered when they were little, him, Izzy, and Jace would always talk about how their wings would look like. It was a known fact that the Lightwoods always a variation brown, but usually chestnut brown wings. Izzy, however, wanted something a little different—maybe a slight red undertone to them. Maroon she decided. Jace, who was a Lightwood at heart, but not by blood, was hoping for something more attention seeking. He wanted golden wings that weren’t as shiny as gold itself, but rather wings that would gleam in the light. It sounded silly to Alec at first, and he would tease his adopted brother about it.

“To match my charming self” Jace flashed a lopsided grin as he imagined how glorious he would look. Alec chuckled to himself nervously as he felt his heart flutter ever so slightly, but agreed nevertheless.

Golden wings on Jace was most suitable with his golden hair and eyes.  _ And Jace would definitely look attractive  _ he admitted, later chastising himself for thinking of his parabatai in such a way. He had no idea when he found himself attracted to the blonde. It might have been when he realized that he didn’t look at girls the same way Jace did, but rather, he looked at boys; one particular boy. A scowl formed on his face but quickly disappeared when Izzy asked what Alec wanted. Alec, being the eldest child that was eager to please his parents and lived by the books, simply wished to have the family color. He didn’t see an issue with chestnut brown. It was neutral and blended in well with the environment, perfect for a Shadowhunter on a hunt. But fate had to have hated him, because he never got the wings of his choice.

When he turned 13, he was brought to the courtyard of Idris where inquisitor Herondale would draw his flight rune. He was feeling both anxious and excited. Finally, he will find out the color of his soul. He had no doubt that Raziel had blessed him with healthy wings, but as for the color, he couldn’t say for certain; not that he doubted it would be anything but a variation of brown. Inquisitor Herondale beckoned Alec to step forward from the small gathering crowd of Shadowhunters who came to see the transition of the eldest Lightwood child to the leader-in-making that everyone expected him to be. He stood silently in front of the older Shadowhunter and nervously chewed on his lip. Imogen ignored the boy’s subtle fidgeting and turned around to grab the ceremonial stele which would carve the flight rune between Alec’s shoulder blades permanently. She gave a slightly pursed smile before she began the ceremonial words. Alec could feel his heartbeat quicken as she finished speaking. Taking a deep breath, he slowly closed his eyes and waited to feel the burning sensation of the rune being drawn.

It burned more than he could have anticipated it to be, and he knew that he shouldn’t have been surprised. This was a permanent rune that would essentially let his soul stretch out into the physical world. His brow knit together as he fought to endure the pain. He would be strong because that was what was expected of him. Sweat began slowly fall from his face until inquisitor Herondale finished drawing the dual runes between his shoulder blades. She stepped back as she gave him a small nod that when he was ready, he would unfurl his wings. The fresh runes still throbbed in pain, but he looked up to his parents and they too nodded. They had been waiting for the day their eldest son would receive runes and show the world his wings.

To be honest, Alec had no idea how to unfurl his wings. He remembered his parents telling him it was similar to stretching his arms out; just stretching with his soul instead. Alec closed his eyes and took a steady breath inwards before reaching inside himself, seeking the wings that itched to be free. And he did. He could feel a tug at the core of his body which sent him mixed feelings of relief and pain as he spread his wings out. The wind teased the tips of the first feathers that were emerging. He could imagine his wings, chestnut brown, sprouting from his back against the cool gray yet almost white stones of the courtyard. It was as if he were learning to breathe again. A single drop of sweat trailed down his face as the rest of his wings emerged, still tucked against his back, but free. There was an audible gasp from the Shadowhunters who were watching. Unfurling his wings, he didn’t know that he could feel so pleased to stretch them and he slowly opened his eyes, only to see the paling faces of his parents. His happiness turned to confusion as he took in shocked looks from other Shadowhunters as well. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, he understood why everyone reacted as they did. Alec felt his heart drop.

 

His wings were as white as snow.

 

It was the opposite of subtle and blending in. And most importantly, it was the same color as the man who manipulated good Shadowhunters to do his evil bidding. All feelings of happiness before he opened his eyes were gone. Unsure, he slowly lifted his eyes to his parents for help. But he wasn’t met with the reassurance he was used to receiving. Rather, the young teen was met with the harsh cold look from his parents. Their lips were drawn so tight that they turned white, almost as white as his wings. He could feel the tension in the air, the heavy sense of disappointment, anger, and even fear. Maryse looked angry. Her eyes were wide and unforgiving, and when Alec’s gaze flickered over to Robert, the boy felt even more abandoned since his father had his eyes cast downwards. The young teen tore his eyes away from his parents and pulled his wings back in. He had never wanted to be the center of attention, not this way at least. For the first time in his life, Alec truly felt afraid. Shame accompanied his fear because he knew what white wings meant. And of course, his parents reminded him of it every day for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit(4.29.2016): Okay, so I've made a quick edit to this chapter after realizing that I didn't have a very solid reason to why white wings were considered 'bad'. Hopefully, this clears things up a bit!!
> 
> Edit (4.30.2016): Also! In cause it wasn't understood, Shadowhunters are able to pull their wings back into their bodies, back to their souls, if they don't want them to be seen. This includes those with pseudo wings as well! It also makes it a lot easier to blend in with mundanes if they ever forget to glamor themselves. I'll go into more details about the wing culture in chapter 3 ;v;


	2. Leaving the Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank those who left encouraging comments and suggestions on the first chapter :") You guys were my motivation to get this chapter done in the next day ;u; Anyways this chapter serves mostly to give some more background to this AU. Hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> A/N: Nestlings are Shadowhunter children who do not have their flight runes.

Ever since the ceremony, Alec never unfurled his wings in public. For a while, he could pass as nestling since there had only been a small handful of Shadowhunters who knew of his wings. He supposed he was lucky that he only needed to dodge judgmental looks and constant harassment from those people and his parents—especially Maryse. But if there was anything he was truly thankful for, it would be his siblings. As annoying as siblings can be, they understood gravity of their big brother’s situation and did not bring up his white wings. 

Because of his determination to prove himself worthy of the frontlines without his wings, he trained twice as hard and made it his goal to master archery. Before he discovered his wings, Alec had already fallen in love with the weapon. Archers were perceptive of their surroundings, looking for danger that they could quickly eliminate from afar. But now he had even more so of a reason to push himself to the limits and perfect the art. Hodge was almost always mentoring and sparring with novice and experienced Shadowhunters alike in the training room. The older Shadowhunter would accommodate to the needs of his students to the best of his abilities. In Alec’s case, they would train in the basement training room that prevented passerby Shadowhunters from peeking in. Hodge was like a father to him, especially when his own biological parents decided to give him the cold shoulder. The teen was grateful for the one on one training sessions because Alec knew that once Jace had his wings, they would be training together to strengthen their parabatai bond. Though Alec knew Jace would not judge him for his wings, he wanted to learn as much as possible about wing combat so he could make up for the times he wouldn’t bring them out while sparing with Jace under the prying eyes of other Shadowhunters. 

Hodge was also one of the few who knew of Alec’s white wings. The only difference was that the man did not look at him as if he were a monstrosity. It made Alec feel comfortable training his wings because it was only during training did he forget about the meaning of his wings. There was another reason why Alec trusted Hodge. Like Alec, Hodge was a man who rarely took his wings out. Well,  _ wing _ . He was once a Circle member of Valentine’s rogue Shadowhunters, but the man realized how  _ wrong _ the Circle was and repented. The Clave only took him in under three conditions: Never talk of the Circle, never leave Idris unless instructed, and never fly again with two wings. He was humiliated and left with one wing but most importantly his life. But to Alec, Hodge  _ understood _ .  

When Jace obtained his runes of flight and unfurled his set of wings, Alec let out a sigh of both relief and awe. Jace did not have wings as white as snow. Though he did not have golden wings, he did in fact, have multi-colored wings. They were a soft hazelnut brown adorned with specks of white and gold. The eldest thought the blonde was breathtaking to look at and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards his parabatai. The lanky teen was used to being overshadowed by Jace’s personality, looks, and now his wings. Unlike himself, Jace had beautiful wings and he knew those wings would further define Jace as the ‘golden boy’. Despite the emotional turmoil he harbored, Alec unconditionally loved his siblings and would do anything to protect them, even if it meant from the shadows. 

Again, Alec was relieved when Izzy received her runes of flight a few months after Jace. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw his baby sister grin, pleased with the color of her wings. They were burgundy. Now that the Lightwood family had successors with some variation of the family color, Maryse slowly stopped harassing her eldest son. Though it was evident that she was still very disappointed, she would now simply give a curt nod in his direction whenever she saw him and Jace spar together.

It was time for the Lightwood children who had their wings to leave the nest. They were given orders to relocate to the headquarters at New York after Izzy got in a month of basic flight training. On the day before they were to depart, Maryse called the three of them to the commons area to discuss what was expected of them. Alec tuned out most of his mother’s voice. It was the same old family talk of how they were representatives of the Lightwood family and how they must be role models and so forth. But the last thing she told them made him freeze at the spot.

“Jace, Isabelle—Alexander.” She paused and Alec frowned at hearing his full name, “You three should rest up. You will need to get up early tomorrow for the flight to New York.” 

“Flight?” He hears Jace question in his stead. Alec’s mouth was suddenly dry as he paled at the thought of flying. He, despite the fact he trusts his siblings with his life, did not feel comfortable spreading his wings in front of them. Plus, he thought Shadowhunters took a portal to the other institutes. Alec couldn’t imagine flying over the Atlantic. Jace could sense how uncomfortable Alec was through the parabatai bond.

“Yes, flight. Since it is the first time you’re leaving Idris, the three of you will take a portal to a safe house on the outskirts of New York and then make the flight to the Institute as a part of your training. Is there a problem?” Oh how cruel Maryse was. The woman did not show any attempt of making things easier for Alec. She knew what the problem was, but looked expectantly at the children.

“No, none at all mother. Thanks for letting us know. We’ll go back to our rooms after grabbing a light snack from the kitchen.” Isabelle quickly jumped in to save Jace from saying something stupid. 

Maryse looked between the two of them and gave a curt nod before stalking back to her own quarters. Izzy gave Jace  _ the look _ as she pursed her lips. Even though she was 13, Izzy knew how to give  _ the look. _ Jace rolled his eyes at her but knew what she meant. Together, they turned to look at their big brother who was clearly not taking the news well.

“Hey man, you gonna be okay?” Jace tried.

“I’m fine.” Alec snapped and instantly regretted the way he responded to his brother. He knew they were worried about him, but he was also frustrated. They knew he wasn’t okay. There was no need to ask the obvious.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to piss you off.” Jace tried again, this time, a little more cautiously.

“I’m fine, I’m going out for a run to clear my mind.” 

Giving an apologetic look to his siblings, who were not convinced by his words, he ducked his head out of the common room and eased into a steady jogging pace and eventually picking speed up to a run. Alec ran for an hour before returning to their quarters in Alicante. He expected to see Jace and Isabelle waiting for him, but what he didn’t expect was Hodge. 

“Oh, Alec. Glad you decided to return from your run. It seems that I’ll be coming with the three of you to continue your training regimes until you guys pass the Hunter’s Assessment.” 

Alec looked from his mentor to his siblings. They couldn’t hide a slight smile from his perceptive eyes. Then it all made sense why they were happy about it.  _ Oh- Hodge can’t fly, which means he’ll get to the institute via mundane transportation.  _ That meant Alec wouldn’t  _ need _ to fly. He could just go with Hodge. Alec let his shoulders drop from relief and was beginning to share some of the excitement with his siblings. Hodge, seeing how relieved his best student felt, cleared his throat and continued, 

  
“Well then, I’ll see you three bright and early 7AM tomorrow. We’ll meet at the main gate before heading out.” He swiveled on his heels but turned back around to add on an afterthought, “And be punctual, Isabelle.”  Izzy groaned very audibly. She was not a morning person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like there is some luck on Alec's side. Thank you guys once again for the support. I'm still surprised at how well received the first chapter was and honestly, it makes me smile a lot ;v; 
> 
> The next chapter will take longer to come out because finals are beginning in the next few days and go on till next week. Anyways, thanks again and don't be afraid to leave any comments if you have questions about this AU :")


	3. Nephilite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec, Jace and Izzy have adapted to life at the New York Institute. It is now time for them to complete the Hunter's Assessment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter, but it's all for bringing the timeline up to speed :") 
> 
> ***Young Shadowhunters who have their wings and have not passed the Hunter’s assessment or chosen to be Intel are referred to as ‘nephilites’. Though most pseudo-wings go to intel, they aren’t prevented from attempting the assessment. Nephilites are allowed to attempt the assessment once they are 15 years old.

It has only been a little over a week since they had arrived at the Institute and Alec found himself in a constant state of relief and frustration. For starters, the move was a breath of fresh air. He now lived in a place where no one but the four of them knew of his true wings. Finally, he could have some sense of peace. If he were to be harassed here, at least it wouldn’t be about his white wings. Hopefully. But at the same time, the New York Institute was a lot smaller than Idris; that meant he would see people more frequently—meaning he would see full-fledged wings(and pseudo wings, though not as eye-catching as the functional ones) all the time. Honestly, he should have been used to it back in Idris. Jace and Izzy always wore theirs out since it was the norm for Shadowhunters to do so. Robert hadn’t bothered to explain it to Alec because of his… circumstances, but he had overheard part of the conversation between Robert and Izzy the night after her ceremony.

_“Isabelle, why don’t you have your wings out?” Robert’s voice was soft. It always had been softer than Maryse’s voice._

_“Because I didn’t feel like having them out.” She replied. Izzy knew that nephilites should keep their wings out after the ceremony to get used to the feeling of extra limbs, but she had her own reasons._

_“Isabelle, honey, do you not like your wings? Your mother and I thought you loved them-”_

_“I do.” she replied instantly because she was hurt by the fact they thought she didn’t like her wings._

_“It’s just that...Alec never has his wings out.”_

_There was a silence._

_Robert’s face paled. At least Alec thought it did. He was passing by Izzy’s room when he heard Robert’s voice and couldn’t help but to eavesdrop on their conversation.  Maybe he should leave now._

_“I- well. Your brother has made his choice to not have his wings out.” Alec could tell Robert chose his words carefully. Izzy seemed to have thought the same and clearly had something to say against his chosen words._

_“Really dad? Alec **made** that choice?”_

_“Isabelle-”_

_“No dad. Don’t try to make this seem like it’s not yours or mom’s fault.” Alec didn’t want to hear any more of this conversation. It was painful enough that his parents didn’t seem to care for his worth, but to have Izzy realize it? At only the age of 13? He turned to leave but stubbed his toe on the small table.  The anger in her voice dissipated when they heard a thud and a muffled ‘shit’ outside her room. Alec panicked and hurried away as fast as possible._

It was early enough that the sky was still dark. That was one thing that hadn’t changed since moving from Idris-- waking up early for morning runs. Running was therapeutic for the teen, just as archery or sparring was. Any form of exercise allowed him to let go and forget about the reality he lived in. _The harsh reality that was stupid all because one Shadowhunter had to fuck it up and make the Clave irrationally scared of the color white._ He grimaced to himself and pulled a dark tee on, silently slipping out of the Institute. His warm skin was instantly greeted by the chilly morning air and he regretted not wearing a sweatshirt before leaving. The teen shrugged it off and convinced himself that once he got moving, he would begin to warm up.

Alec didn’t need to think twice as to where he would run. With his mind on autopilot, his legs took him to Central Park. It was his routine now: run to Central Park, run a lap or two, and then run back to the Institute. Today, however, his mind was clearly somewhere else and he took a wrong turn on the run home, promptly finding himself an abandoned building lot with a vast forest spanning behind it. On normal days, Alec would have thought nothing of the shabby mundane construction, but an idea clicked in his mind. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as he considered the possibilities of this abandoned fixture. The teen hadn’t stretched his wings since their arrival and they itched to be free; and what better place to continue his private training than out here? It didn’t seem like many mundanes passed by the abandoned area  and he could always glamor himself as a precaution. Chewing his bottom lip, he cautiously headed towards the gray construction.

Alec found that the building was mostly incomplete, well, destroyed was the better word. From the outside, it looked small, but when he finally wandered in, he could see that there was rubble everywhere and some cement pillars still holding the structure up. There weren’t many walls so it felt more spacious than he assumed it would have been if it were completed. When he arrived at what he believed to be stairs to the roof, he was slightly disheartened to find that it had fallen apart. Looking upwards, he could see that the ceiling had caved in and created an opening. _Well, this is why I have wings, right?_ Cautiously he glanced around once more and subconsciously cracked his knuckles. There was no sign that anything of the shadow world was present and he let his shoulders relax. His eyes fluttered shut and he tugged at his wings to unfurl. It was the same sensation he had when he first unfurled his wings, but now that he knew the color, he spared the thought of contentment. Without taking a look at his wings, Alec opened his eyes and looked towards the sky. Crouching down to gain a jumping momentum, he worked his wings to push him up past the confines of the building. The wind felt like a soft caress against his skin and feathers, giving him a sense of security, a sensation he had long forgotten ever since his parents shut him out.

He let his wings feel the wind a little while longer before the unused limbs ached from sudden use. Reluctantly, he felt his feet touch the gray roof and padded over to sit at the edge with his legs dangled. It was more like a half perch since his mind had switched to Shadowhunter mode just from flying. His wings still prickled from the sensation of flying for the first time. He sighed as his wings stretched out, filtering the soft sunlight from the rising sun.  Absentmindedly, he brought his left wing forward for him to run his fingers through the feathers. They were a little dirty and fluffed out from neglect and it was about time for his first molting. Alec picked at the loose feathers, realizing that he would need to give his wings a proper grooming in the shower. He moved his wings, playing with the amount of sunlight that would hit his hands. Sunlight. _Shit_. He needed to be back before the Institute was up and running. The teen hopped down from the building with his wings catching air to break his fall. The feathered limbs folded against his back, eventually furling into his body as he picked up speed and broke out into a run.  

When he saw the Institute, he prayed to the angels that no one was up yet. Trying to steady his breathing, he slowly opened the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was still quiet, just as it was when he left. Soundlessly, Alec walked back towards his room with only one thought in mind-- a shower.

“Nice to see you back” The teen jumped up, instantly turning his head towards the familiar gruff voice of his instructor.

“I -um, good morning Hodge.” He managed to get a coherent response out “I-”

“Went on a run, yes I know. You’re always training and staying on top of your goals. If only your siblings would take after and do the same” He chuckled. Hodge was only teasing his student. The eldest of the Lightwoods took training most seriously, and Hodge acknowledged that. He also knew the reason for it but he didn’t push Alec to explain himself.  “I’m just messing with you, Alec. See you in the training room after lunch.” The older Shadowhunter left just as silently as he came.

➰

Days blurred into weeks, then into months, and before Alec realized it, they had been at the institute for a year. He was almost 16 now and he hadn’t chosen his role as a Shadowhunter yet. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to participate in the Hunter’s Assessment, but he would need a team-- his siblings. None of the other Nephilites wanted to form a team with him because of the huge lack of wing presence; and honestly, the teen could care less about their reason. He wanted to take the assessment with his siblings anyways. And so Alec waited for Jace and Izzy to reach 15. Now that the three of them were qualified to take the assessment, the raven haired teen excused himself from wing positioning training and headed straight to the office of Malachi Dieudonne, Shadowhunter Counsul and most importantly for his particular request, the stand-in-head of the institute.

Alec knocked on the door and waited. There was no immediate response and so he knocked again. He frowned and cracked his knuckles-- a nervous habit he developed since he got his wings. Finally, after hearing a muffled ‘come in’, he announced his name and stepped into the office.

“Alexander Lightwood, what is it? Did you finally decide to declare your interests in Intel?” The man was in his late thirties and had a glass of whiskey on his desk, wings matching the color of the dark drink. Alec resisted the urge to scrunch his nose. Dieudonne has been a Consul for 10 years now and Alec knew he should give the man more respect than he was giving him now. The Clave valued his advice whenever they needed counsel on particular turn of events. He was a well respected figure amongst the higher ups and he was the one who appointed Imogen Herondale as inquisitor when the previous inquisitor died. Despite of all the praise that surrounded him, Alec felt like there was something off about the stand in head. When Alec’s parents made it clear to the Clave that they had no intention of appointing their eldest as the stand-in head whenever they went on business trips, there was the question as to _who_ then, would fill the role. Dieudonne was the only one available at the time, and he instantly accepted it-- surprising most of the Shadowhunters since the man was known to have never left Idris for more than three days. Alec remembered it had been a hot topic in Idris three years ago. He grit his teeth when the man used his full name. Alec never liked it when people called him Alexander.

“Alec, sir, and no. I’d like to form a team with my siblings for the Hunter’s Assessment.”

The man frowned, clearly confused by what the younger Shadowhunter had just said. “I’m sorry, what? The Hunter’s Assessment?”

“Yes sir. There’s no problem, right?” The teen began to feel unsure, but he knew that there was no law preventing any nephilite from taking the assessment. “There’s no law against-”

“No, no, you’re quite right.” The stand-in waved Alec to stop talking. “Go to Starkweather so he can prepare the three of you for tomorrow’s assessment.” he paused, taking another look at the eldest Lightwood. “And I assume that is all?”

“I- yes sir. That is all”

The boy left the office and hurried off to the training room to let his siblings and instructor know of the good news. Malachi was not too happy about what had just happened, but there were no laws against a nephilite wishing to take the Hunter’s exam, even if the nephilite was a pseudo wing. Well, at least that was what most of the other Shadowhunters, including the stand-in, believed the eldest Lightwood to be. Unlike most nephilites, the boy had never unfurled his wings in the institute, and he had arrived with the crippled instructor via mundane transportation. The reluctance to unfurl was a behavior that pseudo wings tended to exhibit more than the full-winged Shadowhunters. So it was only appropriate that Alec was most likely a pseudo wing. Though for what reason did the nephilite have to participate in the assessment, the older Shadowhunter had no idea. And by angels, if he was killed in the assessment, it wouldn’t be his fault. The boy had wanted it himself and he was not, in anyway, going to deny that right to the boy. Especially since said boy was the eldest Lightwood that would most likely become the head of the institute in the future.

➰

 

The assessment was easy, so to speak. Complete an obstacle course in a set amount of time and then go out on a supervised demon hunt. A nephilite had to obtain at least 20 points in the obstacle course, 10 of which were from hitting targets, and the last 10 was from finishing before the 10 minute mark. Izzy was worried for her big brother. The night before, Hodge had informed them that most targets were designed so that it was easier for full-winged nephilites to hit. It was the Clave’s subtle way of making sure pseudo-wings wouldn’t pass. They all noticed Alec tense up but no one said a word.

There was a total of 33 targets for their assessment. Combined effort targets were more difficult to obtain but gave the nephilites that worked together two points instead of one. The course was designed to mimic city scape and the forests. Nephilites would need to weave through obstacles to reach their wooden targets and destroy them. They were allowed to use any weapon of their choice but still had to demonstrate their skills with a seraph blade. Many Shadowhunters came to watch since rumors had spread quickly that the eldest Lightwood was participating. Like Malachi, they were confused but were soon surprised to see how efficient and skilled the teen was. Alec had no difficulties clearing the course with his bow and arrow. The runs in the morning and extra training sessions had paid off. In fact, he, Jace, and Izzy worked well with each other and took down the three combined effort targets without much of a problem-- giving each of them a final result of 26 points each.

Hodge walked towards them to give his congratulations. It was obvious that Alec had to put more effort in clearing his targets, but he had made it none the less. The stand-in-head appeared behind their instructor and Alec could have sworn he saw a frown on the man’s face, causing the teen to frown as well.

“Congratulations, Lightwoods. I’m not sure how you managed to pull it off, but you did.” The man’s eyes flickered to Alec for a brief moment making the boy look away. “But, even though you passed this part, there is still the hunt tonight. Though, it would be harder for any team to pass if they had to carry around dead weight. You should pray to the angels for raveners to stay away tonight. We wouldn’t want all your efforts to go to waste by just a bit of demon venom.” The man drawled, gaze lingering on the raven haired teen a little longer than the usual disapproving look most people gave him and walked back towards the institute to do what stand-in-heads did. Once he was out of earshot Izzy was the first to speak.

“Can you believe that asshole?”

“Izzy, language.” The eldest warned his baby sister. Izzy threw him a look and shook her head. 

“Okay, fine. But still, what gives him the right to say stuff like that? Did he not see how great you were out there?” She huffed, still annoyed with Malachi’s words. Her big brother was _not_ dead weight.  

“Yea Alec, I never realized how good you’ve gotten with the bow and arrow. You even shot down one of the targets that I had _clearly_ claimed as mine.” His parabatai feigned annoyance but couldn’t hide his pride. Alec could feel a tug at the corner of his lips, allowing a small smile slip which made Izzy’s eyes widen.

“Is that a smile?” She teased, poking her brother’s arms.

“No- what no it isn’t.” Instantly frowning and folding his arms across his chest.

Hodge watched the siblings interact with amusement. It had been awhile since he’d last seen the three of them interact like this. Especially since Alec frequently disappeared to do his own training, at least that was what Hodge assumed Alec was doing. He let out a sigh and smiled to himself, stepping into the conversation so that his students wouldn’t get too sidetracked by their success. “Alright, as much as you both have fun teasing your brother, you guys should really be preparing for the hunt. Don’t mind Malachi’s words. It should just be shax demons, but still be prepared for any sort of demon.” He added before shooing them back into the Institute.

➰

“Well, that’s the last of them” the blonde grunted as he pulled his runed throwing knife out of the wall. Alec gave him a nod. It was a rash move for Jace to throw his knife at the shax demon that had crept up on Alec, but it worked. The young archer chastised himself for not noticing it. He had been too focused on giving his siblings coverage from the ground and shooting at the demons trying to sink their teeth into the brown wings. Regardless, he was relieved that the three of them had completed the hunt. They began to head back to the Institute to give their report, though he was sure that the Shadowhunters who were supervising from afar already left once they saw the nephilites round up the remaining demons and killed them. Izzy was excitedly chattering away with how well the hunt had gone. Everything was going well until they heard a screech. Instantly, they fell into place guarding one another’s blind spots-- Alec drew an arrow into position, Izzy uncoiled her whip and Jace positioned the retrieved knife and seraph blade in a defensive stance. He felt both Jace’s and Isabelle’s wings brush against his raised shoulders as they waited for the attack.

They were not in a good position, considering that earlier, the three of them had chased the shax demons to a dead end. Now, they were the ones caught in a trap. Hush fell upon them, and only the shallow breathing from the nephilites filled the night. Then it happened. Like roaches, gray deformed figures began to fill the hunting ground, writhing towards the three wide eyed nephilites.

 

Raveners.

 

“Izzy. Jace. Get out of here. Now.” There was no hesitation in the command he gave to his siblings. Dieudonne’s words echoed in his head _“We wouldn’t want all your efforts to go to waste by just a bit of demon venom”_ No, Alec did not want their efforts to go to waste and he did not want either of his siblings to fall victim to the venom.

“No Alec, we aren’t leaving you behind-”

“Go. Now. Before they get any closer”

“Alec-”

“Now.” He yelled as he let an arrow loose. It found its way into the closest Ravener. “Do you trust me?”

He swallowed thickly, adrenaline pumping through his veins. All he could think about was their safety. Alec’s eyes never left the approaching demons but he knew Izzy nodded. “Then go, please” It was a whisper. Another arrow was let loose as he turned around to shoot a ravener that tried to attack from above. 12 arrows left.

Jace could feel fear tickle the back of his mind through their bond, but he knew that Alec was trying his best to get the most of them out. Hell, the blonde would have done the same if their situations were reversed.

“Izzy, we have to go, listen to Alec.” She wanted to throw a snide remark about Jace’s inability in listening to Alec, but seeing how it was now or never, she simply nodded and took off with strong flaps into the night.  Before the blonde left to follow her, he whispered to his parabatai, “Promise me you’ll make it back. You’ll leave the moment you get a chance to. Even if it means using your wings- no I don’t care. No one is here, don't be stupid and use them if you have to.” He didn’t wait to hear a reply and left.

Now that they were out of the way, Alec could feel his fear ebb away. Jace didn’t need to tell him twice about his wings situation, but nevertheless, Alec preferred to not use them. He had gotten accustomed to fighting without the feathered limbs and he would only use them as a last resort. Alec quickly drew arrows as he shot raveners down with deadly precision. Occasionally he would miss his mark, but that didn't stop him from throwing his knife either. Unfortunately, the teen was in over his head when he thought he could take care of the demons. Raveners endlessly poured into the hunting grounds and he was beginning to feel the stamina rune run out. He had one last arrow left but clearly, there was more than one demon to kill. _I can’t let it end here, I have to be there to protect Jace and Izzy._ He was jerked out of his thoughts when he felt a sting in his shoulder. Biting back the pain, Alec whipped around and cleanly cut the ravener with his seraph blade. His blood began to seep through his clothes and he could tell he was done for if he didn’t at least try to use his wings. Grimacing, he forced his wings out, instantly knocking the raveners behind him to the ground with his wings. The quick unfurling caused the bite wound in his shoulder to deepen and this time, he couldn’t hold back a groan in pain. Things moved in slow motion for the nephilite. His movements slowly lost their coordination and the raveners took advantage of it. It was funny how these lesser demons seemed to have attacked with a thought out plan, because in an instant they were upon him and he closed his eyes accepting his fate. But the inevitable never came. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw the demons fleeing, screeching in fear and pain from a blue flame.

 

_Magic_  

 

“I was beginning to wonder when the young Nephilim would use his wings” Alec spun around, instantly dropping into a defensive stance with his feathers raised. He could feel resistance from the feathers that were stuck together with blood and grime.

“Ah, no need to puff your feathers out Nephilim, I’m not here to harm you; after all I did take care of those raveners for you.” The owner of the voice paused. Alec felt eyes on him, a feeling that he was all too familiar with.  “I simply happened to overhear unpleasant demon sounds and of course it piqued my curiosity as to why there were so many of them. Clearly it meant they were up to no good.” The mysterious man chuckled as he walked out of the shadows revealing a pair of amber cat eyes.

Alec’s eyes widened. The man was Asian and tall, dressed in a midnight blue blazer with ornate silver lining and there were blue sparks flying from the man’s fingertips. A warlock, and by the looks of it, a powerful warlock. The warlock smiled. It was good that there were still some Nephilim who seemed to fear his magic. However this one seemed fairly young. The warlock couldn’t discern specific features of the nephilim, for said nephilim was covered in sweat, dirt, and blood-- lots of blood that was both the nephilim’s and of the raveners’. He noticed the nephilim had tucked his wings behind his back as if he were trying to hide them from sight. _Interesting. Not a typical nephilim behavior to hide their wings_. He took a step forward, causing the nephilim to mirror the movement backwards. The warlock pursed his lips and frowned.

“Thanks for the help, but I could have handled it.” Alec’s voice was hoarse. He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was leave and get patched up back at the institute. He didn’t need to deal with a warlock, especially since he knew warlocks didn’t offer assistance for free.

“My, my, what a stubborn nephilim.” The warlock chuckled again. It was airy and so natural that it caught Alec off guard, making him tense his shoulders again. The warlock noticed this and sighed inwardly. He was in no mood to deal with Shadowhunters. “Carry on as you were then, though don’t expect a gracious downworlder to help you next time.” He turned back towards the shadows. It was a pity he couldn’t make out details of the nephilim since he thought he knew of all the New York Shadowhunters. This nephilim most likely got relocated to New York in the past year. The only thing the warlock was able to take note of was messy black hair plastered on the boy’s face. The eyes were hard to tell what color they were, but no doubt they weren’t anything breathtaking if they belonged to a nephilim. As for the wings, they seemed gray, but again, he couldn’t tell. Either way, this nephilim seemed like a typical careless nephilim who overestimated his abilities.

“Wait, you aren’t going to ask for a payment?” Alec thought the warlock would stop, but he didn’t.

“I’m feeling _very_ generous, nephilim, so unless you _want_ to give some sort of payment, I suggest you hurry along and fly off before I change my mind.” The shadows swallowed the man and no matter how hard Alec tried to see if he was still there, he could not see a trace of the amber cat eyes.

He began to wonder if he had imagined the whole thing, but the pain from his shoulder reminded him of more pressing matters. Shaking his head he closed his eyes and grit his teeth, forcing himself into the air. Alec's ascent was far from graceful-- his wings created a gust of wind that carried the ashen remains of the demons and a few stray feathers which shook loose from his wings because of his molt. The warlock, however, was still there and he was surprised when he felt a gust of wind ruffle his hair. He frowned at first since the wind apparently carried demon remains, but his fingers caught a feather. A feather as white as snow.

Alec had no idea how he did it, but he managed to get out of the hunting grounds and onto a main street of New York. He let himself down in an alley close to the Institute and painfully furled his wings in. Keeping the glamor up, he staggered home and fell into the arms of his parabatai. The teen was instantly bombarded with questions of concern and all he could muster out was a reply that he was okay and he needed help with drawing an iratze on his shoulder. Hodge made his siblings leave the treatment room and told them to ask questions tomorrow morning after their brother had gotten a good night’s rest.

“I’m not sure how you made it out of that, or even why there were so many raveners, but I’m glad you made it out alive, we all are.” Hodge marveled as he drew the iratze on Alec’s shoulder. Alec sheepishly muttered a thanks and immediately let sleep claim him. That night, Alec dreamed of the amber cat eyes.   

 

➰

Apparently, not everyone was glad Alec had made it out alive. Malachi had been acting oddly, according to Jace.  
When Alec had returned from the hunt gone wrong, Jace caught Malachi frowning. It seemed like the stand-in-head  
knew more than he was letting on, especially about the ravener ambush. Alec had told Jace he was overthinking things,  
but his parabatai did seem to have a point. Now that Alec thought about it, Malachi had begun acting off ever since  
Alec requested for a Hunter’s Assessment. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it! I know the first meeting isn't the most ideal, and some of you will think he's ooc, but Magnus is still in his apathetic stage where he could care less about nephilim and does things on a whim. But I would love to hear what you guys think of this chapter :") Also, the next chapter update won't be until after my finals, so that means it'll probably be about two weeks till ch 4 is out ;v; Hope you guys enjoyed it!!


	4. Temporary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh sorry for the delayed update ;n; I've been busy with summer classes and I had a wedding to attend last weekend. But thank you guys for being patient :") Unfortunately, this chapter is a filler, and there isn't much happening yet because it's setting up for the next chapter.
> 
> Also, thank you guys for the comments on previous chapters!! I read all of them and it truly keeps me motivated to keep writing. If I didn't reply, I'm sorry about that!! especially if it was during the first week of may when i was in finals crunch down ;v;

It wasn’t uncommon for the Clave to send edicts via fire message. So when Malachi received one while he was relaxing in his office, he was not exactly surprised but rather annoyed that the Clave had decided now was the time to contact him. Malachi knew of the situation back in Idris. His acquaintances had informed him of the unusual increase in demon activity around the outskirts of Alicante. The Clave was increasingly worried over the abnormal behavior. Demons often did not dare to trespass the homeland of the Nephilim. The parchment began to burn rapidly the moment the Consulman began reading the details of the message. _Damnable Clave._ He frowned and reached over his desk to grab a glass of whiskey. His wings twitched in annoyance. Sometimes the Clave’s way of relaying important information was very archaic. This message was no different. There had been a piece of information which he wished to re-read, but alas, all that was left of the message was ashes. Malachi closed his eyes as he took a sip of the liquor. _Alexander Gideon Lightwood. What is so special about that pesudo-wing? But if the boy isn’t a pseudo-wing, why hide the wings?_  He knit his brow and donned a scowl as he barked at another pseudo-wing to go seek out the eldest Lightwood and inform him to come to his office.

The boy wasn’t confirmed as a pseudo-wing, but it was what Malachi preferred to think of the boy to be. However, throughout the years after the Lightwood children had gained their right to go on hunts and missions, the Consulman began to have his doubts. Their success rates were phenomenal even though the eldest Lightwood did not use his wings. Alec had what seemed like unlimited endurance, especially when the stamina rune was activated, and unwavering focus which allowed the young Shadowhunter to shoot his arrows with deadly precision. This made Malachi uncomfortable. He did not like things he could not explain, especially if they defied the typical patterns he had grown to trust. Even though he often regarded the boy with contempt, he had to admit, the boy was skilled. The other Shadowhunters recognized the raven haired boy’s talent as well, despite the fact that not only did he lack the appearance of wings, but also the fact that the boy was seemingly unapproachable in the sense of friendly conversation. Malachi pinched the bridge of his nose and placed the glass of whiskey down. He did not like complications.

Alec had been training with Jace when one of the pseudo-wings called out to him at the request of Dieudonne. The raven haired boy muttered a brief apology to his parabatai before grabbing a towel and excusing himself from the training room. Absentmindedly wiping his sweat with the towel slung across the back of his neck, Alec walked to the office and gave the oaken doors a knock. He heard the man grunt a reply before turning the knob to step into the office.

 

“You asked for me, sir?”

“Yes.” Malachi leaned back in his chair careful to mind his wings so they wouldn’t be uncomfortably pressed against the seat. “I’ve received a fire message from the Clave.”

 

Alec cocked his head to the side in a deadpan manner. What did a fire message have to do with him? Unless? No, it couldn’t be. The Clave had no reason to suddenly decide to notify the stand-in about his white wings. He swallowed thickly, trying to keep his usual facade. Malachi narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. He did not like what could not be explained and the older Shadowhunter was convinced that Alec was hiding something. The man took a deep breath before carefully explaining what the fire message entailed.

“I’ve been summoned to return to Idris tomorrow due to abnormal demon activities; meaning the Institute will be without a Head. However, it appears to be that your parents saw to this predicament already, and named you as the next _temporary_ head.” He stressed the word ‘temporary’. “After all, it’s only proper that the position is inherited by the eldest Lightwood child.” _Even if he is hiding something and is most likely a pseudo-wing._ Malachi added bitterly to himself. He had not meant for his words to reflect his disdain, but the boy had clearly felt it. Alec instantly felt a frown on his face and he crossed his arms. Dieudonne had never been the friendliest to him from the beginning because of his desires to keep his wings hidden rather than out like everyone else and he could sense that Dieudonne was skeptical.

Alec felt conflicted. On one hand, he was relieved to hear the man was leaving the Institute. There would be no more glancing over his shoulders and seeing a frowning Consul pretending to not stare at him. But on the other hand, he was shocked. Alec had always wanted to please his parents and follow their footsteps like a good son should. However due to the Coming of Age incident, his parents shifted all efforts to Jace, leaving Alec unsure as to what to do with his life. He was and still is the big brother who protected his siblings. Jace, in his opinion, though favored by many people, was too rash and immature. Alec loved his parabatai, but looking at things objectively, the blonde would drive the Institute into a shit hole in a matter of seconds because of his personality. Despite of the cold shoulder, Alec still strived to be the son that his parents raised him to be. Only this time, he wouldn’t be receiving their praise. He didn’t mind being in the shadows. He accepted it. And now, it seemed like he was no longer completely in the shadow since his parents also realized that Jace was not the best candidate for stand-in head. Alec blinked several times as it dawned on him. His parents hadn’t willingly opened their eyes to see his worth, but rather they had no choice to because they needed someone competent enough to hold the seat and not destroy all of their hard work.

Malachi curiously watched the internal struggle the boy was shifting through. It was a shame, in all honesty. A shame that the boy had all the talent and qualifications even though he was not blessed, at least he appeared to not be blessed. It was no secret that Alec was not favored by his parents, especially Maryse. Malachi squeezed his eyes closed for a brief second. This was giving him a headache.   

 

“You should think of it as an honor that someone of your status could make it this far. Given your… circumstances, it appears to be that many of the other Shadowhunters here already respect you. Don’t let this promotion get to your head, Lightwood.” Alec’s eyes focused on the stand-in head once again.

“It is only _temporary--_ until either I or your parents return to the institute. Hopefully, you won’t be overwhelmed by the responsibility.”  

 

Alec had to resist the urge to talk back to the man. The man had the nerve to suggest Alec wouldn’t be able to handle the responsibilities as a temporary head of the Institute. He had already been acting as the stand-in head with how Dieudonne loafed around in his office drinking whiskey and basically completing only the bare minimum. The teenager could only mutter a form of thanks before ducking his head out of the office. It was going to be a long day.

➰

The Institute ran smoothly after Malachi Dieudonne’s departure. No one had a shred of remorse when the Consulman left. Though the man had kept the Institute running, it was obvious that he was more at home in providing advice rather than running an Institute. Alec found himself in heaps of paperwork which Dieudonne had failed to properly complete. The first few days consisted of Alec shutting himself in the office, his office now, and rarely participating in hunts or missions. He blamed the previous stand-in for feeling overworked and exhausted. After finishing the last paperwork for the night, he brought a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. Leaning backward in the chair, he tilted his head up and stared blankly at the ceiling. The raven haired teen did not know when he had fallen asleep, but he abruptly jolted awake when his eyes adjusted and saw Izzy smiling at him.

 

“Izzy! What are you doing here? I thought you were on a hunt.”

“I was. The question is, what are you still doing here Alec?”

He frowned, as if he was ever not frowning, and quizzically looked at his sister.

“We finished the hunt half an hour ago. And now I’m here to tell you that you should be in your bed sleeping, not at the desk.”

 

Alec groaned. He thought he had only rested his eyes for a brief moment, but it turned out to be for a few hours instead. “What time is it?” He swallowed thickly. His mouth was dry and he could taste the morning breath even though he didn’t exactly have a proper rest.

 

Izzy pulled out her cell phone to check. “2:38 AM. I really should complain to mom about the crap Dieudonne left for you.” She frowned. She was glad her brother filled in the position as temporary head of the institute perfectly, and honestly she foresaw him succeeding their parents in the near future, but at the same time, she knew that he hadn’t been taking care of himself. It was always work and family first, his well being second. She loved him dearly, but sometimes, she wished he would be selfish and do what he wanted for himself. Alec grabbed her hand and rubbed her knuckles.

 

“It’s fine. I’m holding up, and once I’ve caught up in paperwork, it’ll be easier.”

“You said that last time” She deadpanned. “I miss spending time with my big brother.”

“There’s still Jace, isn’t there?” He joked after seeing her childish pout. Izzy rolled her eyes.

“Yes, there’s Jace. But you know how he is-- always in the middle of trouble.” Izzy heard a muffled chuckle from her brother. The corner of her lips pulled into a smile.

 

“Yea, I know. Jace can be a royal pain in the ass sometimes. But how was the hunt? It took longer than I thought it would.”

“The hunt went well! We spent most of the time chasing demons, but it turns out that we were able to get some information. We finally got a lead to the drained mundane cases.”

 

Alec raised an eyebrow and sat up straight. In the past few weeks, the Clave had told them to investigate unusual murders that involved mundanes being completely drained of their blood. It wasn’t a vampire issue since there were no puncture holes in the mundanes, but it certainly was the work of something in the shadow world. Izzy, seeing that the news grabbed his attention, continued.

 

“One of the demons squealed, of course after Jace held it at the mercy of his seraph blade. There is a particular shape shifting demon who has been seen around the murder scenes with a vial of blood. No doubt it’s mundane blood. The reason? We don’t know yet, but apparently it always heads to Pandemonium after a kill.”

_Pandemonium_. Alec  groaned. Not only was it the largest downworlder club in New York, it was also a club that allowed mundanes to enter as well. To hear that a demon would slip through the security was something unsettling. They had been requested to go to pandemonium a few times to handle unwanted demons, but this was annoying. If Alec didn’t know better, he’d think it was more of an excuse for Izzy to dress up.

“Izzy-” He started, voice authoritative and unamused

“What?” She pursed her lips. “I’m not making this up as an excuse to go clubbing. Ask Jace.”

He folded his arms across his chest.

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow, well later today, after we both get rest.” He could feel a yawn threatening to surface but he clenched his jaw to force it down. He got a light ‘okay’ from his sister before she pushed her chair out and turned to leave. Alec let his eyelids fall again as he listened to the click of Isabelle’s heels fade down the hallway. _Sleep,_ yes, he needed that, but only after he sent a request to the Clave for the mission which they would do later. After hastily sending a mission request, Alec forced himself to stand up and walk back towards his room to get a few hours of shut-eye. He immediately fell down on the stiff bed and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There should be another chapter up soon because it was originally a part of this chapter, but I ended up expanding more on it than I had intended to. Anyways, Kudos and Comments are appreciated!!  
> Also, for anyone who is curious, Alec recently turned 19.


	5. Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter finally out ;v; Thank you for the comments on the previous chapters :")  
> This took longer than I expected... since there was a lot about this chapter that I was unsatisfied with and it also hasn't been betaed. :"(  
> My laptop has been overheating these past few days and sometimes it gets too hot for me to type.  
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

By midday, the Clave approved their mission and Alec was already informing a select handful of pseudo-wings to gather information on their shape-shifter. There wasn’t much to do in the Institute until they gathered all they could about their target. Alec was restless. After being cooped up in the office with mundane paperwork, the temporary head was eager to be out in the field once more. But that wasn’t the only reason why he felt restless-- he was expecting his molt. Alec wasn’t terribly fond of molting. It was uncomfortable, his wings itched all the time, and it was awkward to groom through the loose feathers in his small bathroom. His wings were itching and he suddenly had the urge to spread them out. There was time, plenty of time before nightfall, for him to go to his abandoned building for a brief stretch; since he had woken up later than usual, he had to forego his morning run. So it was more the reason for him to let loose the pent up energy he had from office work.

 

Alec didn’t bother to make a lap around Central Park. Rather, he ran through it and straight towards the abandoned lot. He reached back to the stele in his back pocket to trace the soundless and glamour runes on his skin before scouting the perimeter for any stray mundanes or beings of the shadow world. He slipped into the building and let his shoulders drop into a slightly relaxed state as he unfurled his wings. A sigh escaped his lips when his wings fully stretched out, the tips of his outer flight feathers slightly brushing the walls around him. It was a good thing the unfinished and worn out building had no walls. If it did, the raven haired boy probably wouldn’t be able to stretch his wings at all-- considering now that they were full grown at 24 feet in wingspan. The wings would have completely filled the room. The tension in his shoulders slowly ebbed away as he felt a pleasant burning sensation from the lean muscles in his feathered limbs. He extended and retracted his wings in small tentative gestures, carefully avoiding stray wiring that protruded out of broken walls. Once his muscles were warm, he easily leapt up through the gap in the ceiling and turned to face the forest behind.

 

Alec enjoyed the feeling of flying; but due to his circumstances and the Nephilim population’s irrational mindset of the worst possible ‘what-ifs’, he, too, had grown to abominate himself and made it a personal rule to hide his wings. It was a sort of defense mechanism to pretend around other people that he did not have functional wings. He hated the idea of how a Shadowhunter’s wings determined one’s worth, but that was how their world functioned. The teen weaved through the forest and eventually forgot of his internal conflict of his wing color. Alec didn’t realize how long he had been flying through the forest until his stomach pitifully wambled. Flying required a lot of energy and he always had to eat a lot more whenever he flew for hours. Alec was still on an exercise high and though he would normally make the trip back by foot, but his current priorities were not whether he would be spotted by a downworlder or Shadowhunter. Either way, most non-mundanes wouldn’t be out and about this early before sun down and in the low light of the sun, his wings could pass as a cream color. Taking off and gliding relatively close to the roof of the buildings, Alec took the most remote path to Taki’s diner. He dropped himself a couple blocks away on top of an inaccessible mundane building to lessen the chances of being seen with his wings. After he popped in to grab a sandwich as well as Izzy and Jace’s favorites to go, he headed back to the institute. It was going to be a long night, and he might as well catch some shut-eye before the mission.  

 

➰

 

Alec glanced at the clock which hung above the door frame of his office.  Quarter till 11. Grumbling to himself and stacking the last of Dieudonne’s paperwork, he pushed himself out of the chair and headed towards the commons room where they housed all of their high tech. Alec stopped by Izzy’s room and saw her picking out an outfit for the mission. She was always the distraction on their missions, but sometimes, Alec didn’t understand her clothing choices-- tonight being one of the times. Izzy was wearing a tight two-piece leather dress. It had a slight shine to it and it clearly accentuated her body. He saw her disappear behind her decorative screen and emerged with a wig in her hands.

 

“Izzy. What is that?” He looked at the cheap white party wig as she twirled it around.

“It’s a wig, Alec.” Alec frowned.

“I can see that. What I don’t see why you need a wig for this mission.”  

“Demons dig blonde.”

“That’s white.” He could hear her laugh the moment the words left his mouth. Apparently, it wasn’t white.

“Platinum blonde, brother.”

“It’s- okay fine, whatever.”

“I know what I’m doing. Trust me, mi hermano.”

Alec folded his arms across his chest. “Fine. Debriefing in the commons in 5 minutes... and don’t be late.”

 

One of the pseudo-wings walked towards the taller teen with a glass tablet in hand. Alec gave the other Shadowhunter a curt nod of thanks for his work before accepting the tablet and scanning through the details as he made his way towards the empty conference table with a glass screen near the back of the room. Jace appeared shortly and instantly headed towards the table after catching sight of his parabatai’s matted hair. He smiled a bit to himself as he watched his parabatai deftly sifting through useless information and flicking up the important pieces on the screen. Alec was frowning.

 

“And so the man graces us with his presence at last.” Jace brushed his hand across Alec’s shoulders and felt his brother’s muscles tense.

Alec swatted his hand away.

 

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” The blond smirked, earning a scowl from his parabatai, as he rounded the table and pulled a gray mesh chair out from the table. He tucked his wings appropriately to rest comfortably on the back of the seat and kicked his feet up to rest on the glass.

 

“It’s not even close to morning, Jace. And for your information, I woke up fine.” Alec rolled his eyes at the other man. “Did you see Izzy on your way here?”

“Nope.”  The eldest groaned inwardly. He’d rather get the mission done before midnight, but it seemed like that was not going to happen. His thoughts were interrupted.

“Hey man, seriously, what’s eating at you? You’re not the one who is usually impatient.” The smirk was no longer on Jace’s face and his wings leaned forward. It was harder to read a Shadowhunter who never had his wings out-- especially since wings also functioned as social cues to how a hunter was feeling. But Jace knew his parabatai, not just from the parabatai bond, nor from the wings (which he had only seen once), but from being his actual brother and being there for Alec.

 

“Nothing. Just tired of filing paperwork instead of going out on hunts and missions with you guys. Not to mention we finally have a lead on these unusual mundane murder cases.”

 

Jace nodded in agreement. It wasn’t the same without the three of them together on a hunt. They worked more efficiently - and safely - when Alec was present since he was always the one to formulate a basic plan instead of just blindly rushing in head first.

“So do we have a visual on our demon’s current look?”

 

“Yes.” Alec pulled up an image of a middle-aged Japanese man. “This was last taken a few minutes ago, but we really should get moving before it changes. Now where is Izzy?”

“Patience, mi hermano.” Her wing brushed her brother’s arm. He frowned at the white, no, apparently platinum blonde wig. Alec noticed that she had shrugged on a large over coat to cover her dress. “I’m here and I’m sure you could debrief me on our way there.” Her lips turned upwards into a smile. They were stained burgundy like her wings.

 

“Nice choice Izzy. Demons dig blonde.”

Alec looked at Jace in disbelief.

“Told you it was blonde.” She smirked.

He huffed in annoyance and gave up. “Okay, whatever, let’s go and I’ll fill you in.”

 

After drawing glamours on themselves, the Lightwoods made their way to the target. Alec was first to see the brief flash of blue in the eyes of the Japanese man. It was subtle, and the teen gave the shifter some credit for staying off their radar for so long. Without words, he gave orders to his siblings with simple eye contact. Even when glamoured, they were conspicuously taking up space, especially with Jace’s and Izzy’s set of wings. The plan was for Jace to remain on foot with his wings furled in so he could closely follow the target while Izzy and Alec took the high ground. Alec instantly split off to the right, taking care to not bump into mundanes even though they wouldn’t know what passed by them. He saw a metal ladder lead up to the rooftops and instantly scaled it. Izzy, on the other hand, took the left side into an alleyway, eyes still on the target, and her wings occasionally made contact with mundanes. She didn’t take notice to how the mundanes shivered from the brush of her feathers. She quickly worked her wings to get her above the buildings and silently followed along the sides. The shifter, still unaware that there were three Shadowhunters on his tail, kept his steady gait. Alec went ahead, knowing that the demon would shift before entering the club. Perched above the high beams, he watched as the demon bumped shoulders with a young woman who seemed to have just exited the club. In an instant, the Japanese man was now a woman in her late twenties adorned in makeup and high stilettos and she wore one of those tight dresses Izzy would wear, except it was a hot pink. The demon flicked her hair to the side, her hand grasping a small bottle that wasn’t visible earlier when it had the appearance of a Japanese man. Even with his heightened sight from the runes, Alec couldn’t discern the contents of the bottle, but he suspected it was mundane blood. He saw Izzy take note of the change and he hurried over to Izzy on the other side.

 

“Keep your eyes on them.” He gestured to the ground. “I’m going to secure the perimeter and meet up inside as soon as I’m done.”

 

Izzy simply nodded and leapt over the beams to keep a good bird's eye view of their target before it entered the club.

 

Navigating across the rooftops, he cleared the threshold to the club’s roof and ducked under various stray pipes that expelled gas as he circled around the building. There was nothing out of the ordinary and it seemed like the shapeshifter came to the club on its own. He noticed an antique car, an old Cadillac Fleetwood, parked to the north of the club. He couldn’t sense anything demonic about it, but it still gave him an uneasy feeling. Turning back around, he slipped down the side of a building near the club’s entrance. He noticed Izzy had pulled her wings in as well and saw her stalk into the club right after the demon disappeared into the mass of noise and strobe lights. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Jace and gave him a curt nod before turning to follow his sister.

 

Alec was partly glad she had chosen to wear the _platinum_ blonde wig. It was easier to keep track of her in the mass of people, the too many people in fact. He hated these scenes. Strangers grinding up against one another, air filled with the musk of sweat and sex, and music that was way too loud that he could feel the beat in his bones. He grimaced as he weaved through the crowd to keep up with the target.

 

The target blended in with the crowd, but he saw it stop briefly around a corner before reappearing. Alec frowned after seeing two men dressed far too formally for a club. It was a transaction. The shifter was peddling mundane blood. The raven haired Shadowhunter chewed the inside of his cheek. _Who wanted mundane blood? The men in the suits don’t look dead enough to be vampires._ Shaking his thoughts away, he refocused on their mission. Get answers from the target and leave. The shifter slipped behind the royal purple curtains to a VIP room and he followed without a second thought.

 

Alec wasn’t the only one who had his eyes on the transaction. A pair of amber cat eyes were focused more so on the shifter’s client rather than the shifter itself. Magnus narrowed his eyes as he spotted the mark of a Circle member on the two wingless men. He saw the two men glance around to see if anyone had witnessed the transaction. It was oh so mundanely cliché that these rebel Nephilim were dressed in suits and donned cheap shades. And, not to mention, the fact that they were conducting _their_ business in _his_ club under the guise of something not a Nephilim. This was a no-no. He clicked his tongue and in one fluid motion uncrossed long legs, soundlessly leaping to his feet. The Downworlders whom he had his arms around earlier did not seem to care. They were intoxicated by some faerie drink anyways. He weaved effortlessly through the mass of people as if a path had opened just for him. It was right before he came into the two Nephilim’s view when he spotted a messy mat of jet black hair that for some reason, was all too familiar. Magnus frowned. Though he was over 400 years old, he was never the one to forget appearances and names. Yet he could not quite put his finger on where and when he had seen the messy mop. The man turned slightly to avoid the mix of bodies in his path, revealing the large deflect rune on his neck. _Another Nephilim._ The warlock was not aware that tonight was a Nephilim night out. Then again, he had to give the Nephilim credit for being considerate enough to not display their large wings in the club, including the circle members. He scrunched his nose when he thought of the cult which tried to eradicate all Downworlders years ago.  Magnus saw that the raven haired Nephilim seemed to be following someone and quickly connected the dots that the other Nephilim was following the shape shifter. _Times have changed for a Nephilim to seek the comfort of a shifter._ He smirked to himself. He shook his head and brought his attention back to the two circle members.

 

“Circle members aren’t welcome here in my club.”

 

The two members were taken by surprise and of course frowned.   “No worries, warlock.” The rat-like one regained his composure first. “It’s all ancient history.” The larger of the two was agitated and apprehensively reached for a weapon, perhaps a seraph blade. Magnus was quick to act and he conjured a sphere of magic between his fingers, moved his hand across his chest to hold the Nephilim up as if he were pinning him against the wall.

 

Magnus raised his eyebrow, unamused by their foolishness. “Really? To me, it was like the blink of an eye.”

 

The Nephilim was grasping at his throat trying to pry the invisible hand around his neck. Somehow he was mumbling something and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Leave.” His amber cat eyes flashed a brighter yellow for a split second as he was holding his magic back. The circle members apparently had some common sense and they scurried out after sneering in contempt. Magnus tilted his head up in a triumphant manner and he scanned across the crowd for the tall raven haired Nephilim. To his disappointment, he did not see that particular jet black hair anywhere.

 

Behind the curtains, Alec assessed the situation before him. Izzy was already at work, shedding her large over coat to reveal her dress. Instantly, the other demons present in the room had their eyes on her, and he watched them being seduced by his sister’s dancing. It was Izzy’s thing, being the distraction, and he couldn't help but to wonder where Jace was. Alec hoped his parabatai did not get held up with some girl out on the dance floor. Thankfully, the demons were well distracted until Jace finally decided to show up.

 

He threw a quick glare at the blond before letting him shimmy up next to the demon.

 

“I hear you’ve been peddling mundane blood.”

“Why? Are you looking to score?” The shifter sneered. It found it almost laughable that a Nephilim would try to threaten it here.

“I’m not. But you’re going to tell me who is.”

“Well, you’re outnumbered here.” Its eyes flickered around the room. Jace followed its gaze.

“Oh, I like our odds. Last chance, shifter. Who are you peddling the blood to?”

Alec saw Jace activate his seraph blade as an encouragement for the shifter to answer his question.

“Is the little Nephilim’s temper getting the best of him?”

Jace hesitated for a moment. It was right, but he wasn’t going to vaporize it. They would bring it back to the institute for interrogation. “So that’s your answer.”

 

Before anyone could do anything, a fiery redhead burst forward screaming a warning to the shifter and pushed it out of the seraph blade’s way. It bared its fangs at the redhead, causing the small girl the flinch.

The other demon’s heads snapped towards the commotion and surged towards Jace. Alec heard his name being called and saw Jace using the blade to fend for both himself and the redheaded mundane. The redhead had not moved an inch and appeared to have trouble breathing - by the angel, he really disliked mundanes - and if it weren’t for Jace, she would have been dead. There was a brief moment where Jace had time to try to calm the mundane. The mundane saw a demon come up from behind but gave a warning too late. It kicked Jace backwards into the wall, making him drop his seraph blade. In the midst of the chaos, Izzy was keeping as many demons in her vicinity, but one of them slipped by. Alec’s eyes flickered to the redhead. He watched her reach for the seraph blade and upon her touch, it came to life. His eyes widened. This mundane had angel blood in her veins, but she was not a Shadowhunter. They knew all Shadowhunters in New York, and Shadowhunters didn’t just appear out of nowhere. The girl watched the blade in fascination, briefly forgetting her situation. There was no time for Alec to babysit a mundane with the sight. Demons were surrounding them and he needed to get that blade back to Jace. Roughly elbowing a demon that came around on his left, he threw the demon onto the blade. It instantly vaporized and he grabbed the blade out of her hands.

“Jace!” His parabatai’s head snapped up and Alec tossed the blade to him. Jace caught it and turned the blade in reverse to cut back into the stomach of the demon that was choking him from behind. Alec called upon his own seraph blade and together they finished off the remainder of the demons.

“What is a mundane doing here?” he forced his words through his gritted teeth.

“I don’t know but - wait. Where did she go?” Alec whipped around. The redhead was gone. He swore under his breath.

“Relax Alec, Jace can explain later. For now, we gotta go.” Izzy glanced around if anyone outside noticed the chaos. It didn’t seem like the demon screams were louder than the music, so they were safe, but not for long.  The three of them slipped out of the VIP room and headed towards the exit. Alec nudged Izzy to go first and Jace fell in line behind her. It was only after Alec had taken a glance around the empty VIP room before he ducked through the curtains.

Many things did not seem to go his way. After dealing with the Circle members, the warlock treated himself to a variation of a cocktail as he made his rounds through the club. It was his policy to make sure there weren’t any disruptions that could cause harm to any of his more pleasant attendees. As he was making his way back to his throne, a mess of fiery orange hair ran into him, causing the drink to slosh over the glass’ rim and onto his blazer. The small girl, a mundane, muttered an apology before hurrying out of sight. She clearly looked distressed. He shook his head and turned back around to continue where he left off but someone, once again, had bumped shoulders with him; only this time, they were Nephilim. He blinked his amber eyes several times as he watched three young Nephilim slip through the crowd. His feline eyes fell once more on the tall raven haired Nephilim.  Nephilim.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to make it a thing where I upload chapters weekly since I've finally gotten to the part where it's following TV verse. I might skip over a few scenes from the TV show. Ahhh I feel like I keep pushing off malec with other scenes :"( Anyways, let me know what you guys think!! ;v;
> 
> Edit: ahhhhh I said I would try to make weekly updates, but it has been ages since I've had time to sit down and write. I've been bogged down with weekly exams from summer classes and I just got a puppy so I've been training her :") I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter out. Sorry ;n;


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